Good Will Hunting (1997)

Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck

Stars:

Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck

Top 250 #147 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	Will Hunting
Robin Williams	...	Sean Maguire
Ben Affleck	...	Chuckie Sullivan
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Prof. Gerald Lambeau
Minnie Driver	...	Skylar
Casey Affleck	...	Morgan O'Mally
Cole Hauser	...	Billy McBride
John Mighton	...	Tom - Lambeau's Teaching Assistant
Rachel Majorowski	...	Krystyn
Colleen McCauley	...	Cathy
Matt Mercier	...	Barbershop Quartet #1
Ralph St. George	...	Barbershop Quartet #2
Rob Lynds	...	Barbershop Quartet #3
Dan Washington	...	Barbershop Quartet #4
Alison Folland	...	M.I.T. Student #1

Storyline

A touching tale of a wayward young man who struggles to find his identity, living in a world where he can solve any problem, except the one brewing deep within himself, until one day he meets his soul mate who opens his mind and his heart.

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Plot Keywords:

genius | professor | janitor | mathematics | friend | 

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Taglines:

Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, including some sex-related dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

En busca del destino

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,400,000 (Non-US) (6 March 1998)

Gross:

$138,339,411 (USA) (24 July 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Be Gentlemen Limited Partnership, Lawrence Bender Productions, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Minghella was offered the role of Henry Lipkin but was unable to take the role due to scheduling conflicts.

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Goofs

When Chuckie is having the conversation with Will about how he wishes one day Will wouldn't be home when he comes to pick him up, he finishes the scene with a sip of beer from a can. The can is in his right hand as he takes the sip, but in the next shot as he lowers the can from his lips, it has miraculously jumped to his left hand.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lambeau: Mod fx... squared... dx. So please finish Parceval, by next time. I know many of you had this as undergraduates, but it won't hurt to brush up.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, the film is dedicated to the memory of poet Allen Ginsberg and writer William S. Burroughs, both of whom died in 1997.

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Connections

Referenced in Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl (2006)

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Soundtracks

"People"
Written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill

User Reviews

A slow burner, a fine achievement

Sure, this film's plot is fairly predictable. Sure, if you boiled it down to its essential components it wouldn't amount to much. Sure, Will Hunting's genius is profoundly unrealistic.

Yet I'm giving this one 10 out of 10.

I don't know whether Matt and Ben have ever been in therapy, but they certainly understand a lot about the human psyche, how it ducks responsibility, and pushes blame onto others, how it dismisses the real gifts it has and concentrates on running itself down. How many of us suffer from the same problems as Will? Only those who deny their own vulnerability will remain unaffected by this film.

Not only is the script powerful, but the dynamics between the characters - all of them selfish, even Skylar - is vividly and plausibly executed. The film just about manages to avoid easy answers, preferring to acknowledge (indeed, highlight) the complexity and pain of personal growth and self-realisation.

You could read a lot of self-help books, but they won't bring across to you as powerfully as this film what it's like to be scared, what it's like to experience loss, how difficult it is to shake off your old ways of thinking, how important honesty to yourself is. If this is the kind of revelation Matt and Ben are going to come up with, I look forward to their future efforts.

The first time I saw it, I felt moved as the credits rolled. On my way home from the cinema, I felt sombre. When I got home, I finally burst into tears. This film burns slowly, inside you.

As cinema, it's fair to middling. The performances are all first class. The script is a jewel. As wisdom, it's second to none. A fine achievement.